Days to Live
by Loveless Kitten
Summary: A one-shot where Levy is Dying and Gajeel tries to make her last days perfect. Rated T for language.


**AN: What would happen if Levy was hurt during a mission? What if Gajeel couldn't protect her? What if they only had one day left? Sorry for this, but I thought it would be cute.**

-o0o0o0o0o0o0o-

"LEVY GET DOWN!" Jet yelled as a tree flew through the air.

Team Shadow Gear had taken on a mission recently to rid a village just outside of Crocus of a monstrous beast. The beast was a tri-optic serpent necked grimorph. It was a twenty foot tall creature with the scaled body of a yeti and a six foot long snake like neck. The neck was attached to the face of a bear with three eyes. The tri-optic serpent necked grimorph had the strength of fifty bodybuilders and the speed to match Jet's.

The team had tracked the beast down in the woodsy mountains a few miles from the village and cornered it in front of a cliff edge. As the fight ensued between the wizards and the grimorph, Levy had used more and more of her magic power. She had almost exhausted her supply of magic. Droy fell as the monster threw yet another tree. Levy used the last of her magic to deflect the tree before it could crush him. Her yelled spell drew the attention of the grimorph. An uprooted tree flew at her, slamming into her rib cage and throwing her over the side of the cliff. Levy felt her ribs break from the impact. As her feet left the ground and she felt herself fall from the cliff, fear wrapped around her heart. She neared the earth as blood dripped from her mouth and everything went black

-o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o-

Jet held Levy close as he ran to the tree house in the woods outside of Magnolia. Porlyusica would know what to do. He peered down into Levy's unconscious face as she spit up more blood. Bruises and cuts covered her body, broken bones lay awkwardly and protruded from her arm and leg. Her breathing was shallow and her skin paler than he'd ever seen it before.

"HELP!" Jet kicked in the treehouse door searching for Porlyusica. The old pink haired mage sat at the table mixing an elixir out of dragon root, mandrake oil and rose petals. She looked up with a menacing glare as her door splintered into a dozen pieces. She chose to hold her scolds until after she pulled the slowly worsening blunette from the scared speed mage.

"Silence your pitiful yells before you wake the bastard in the back. Humans. Too noisy," the old woman chided as she set Levy down on the table. "What happened? Did you throw the damned girl off a cliff?"

Jet began to cry as the healer set the broken bones and gave her a potion to ease the pain. "We took on a mission to rid a village of a tri-optic serpent necked grimorph. She used the last of her solid script magic to ward off an attack aimed at our teammate and unfortunately drew the creatures attention toward herself. I couldn't reach her in time. She was caught in the chest with a tree and went over the cliff. I managed to beat her to the bottom in time to catch her but she caught a few of the edges jutting out breaking bones. I rushed her here as soon as we could retreat."

"Get that fool you call a master. I fear he's going to want to hear this." Porlyusica said as she placed a pillow under Levy's head and prepped a IV drip for the girl. "Grab the healing dragon brat as well. This isn't going to be easy."

As soon as Jet left, Porlyusica sighed. The girl was internal hemorrhaging in her chest cavity. Her entire body was shutting down. From what Porlyusica could tell, the girl's broken ribs had punctured her lungs and she was slowly drowning in her own blood. It was hard to tell if this was the only internal injuries she had suffered, but there was one thing the old mage did know. The young woman wouldn't survive for long. At most, the mage guessed, the girl would live about another day or two. Just long enough to say her good-byes.

-o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o-

Makarov, Wendy and Jet ran through the trees, stopping just outside the door to the tree house. Porlyusica was waiting for them. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her arms crossed. She looked very upset, whether it was because she had humans around her or if it was the conditions of her patients wasn't clear.

"Usica, what is it?" Makarov walked over to the healer.

"You poor old fool, one of your brats is in the house in my bed, sleeping off a nasty poison and another one is on my table, dying." The old mage sighed. "The dragon brat here may prolong her life, but only for a week at most. There's just too much damage."

"Levy's dying?" Jet gasped, falling to his knees. Wendy began to cry.

"Yes. The script mage is dying. Internal bleeding."

"THE FUCK IS THIS?!" An angry yell came from inside the tree house.

"Looks like the other brat survived the poison and is awake. Sadly, the iron dragon is going to have a bad day it seems." Porlyusica said, looking towards the sky. "It's never easy to tell a soul that the one they love is going to die."

"I'll tell him, if its okay with you, Miss Porlyusica," Jet looked at the ground. "Master, it was my fault she got hurt, I should tell him."

"Jet, think it through before you decide," the old man shook his head. "Gajeel might not be willing to listen to reason. It is Levy after all."

Jet walked through the doorway to find Gajeel kneeling down beside Levy's pale, cold body. Her small hand wrapped in his large, tan hand. The small woman was breathing shallowly, sweat coated her body. Dry blood stuck to the edging of her mouth. Her eyes sunk in and dark.

"Gajeel," Jet started.

"Her heart beats faint. What the fuck happened out there?" Gajeel asked not taking his eyes off the dying girl in front of him.

"It was a tri-optic serpent necked grimorph. Levy was low on magic energy when Droy tripped as a tree was thrown at him. Levy saved him but it cost her the last of her power. The yelled spell caught the creatures attention. It threw another tree, this one at her." Jet took a deep breath, "Gajeel, I wasn't fast enough. She got hit and went over the cliff. I almost didn't reach the bottom in time to catch her. This is my fault."

Gajeel got up intent on rearranging Jet's face with his fist. He slammed the speed mage into the wall and drew back his fist to punch him, but suddenly stopped. He dropped his hand to his side. Taking a deep breath, Gajeel let go of the man in front of him and turned back to the dying blunette. "Don't do that."

"What?" Jet looked at the raven haired man, confused.

"Don't blame yerself. Levy chose to save that fat lard and ya chose to chase after Levy. She would never forgive me if I let ya blame yerself when she was the one who picked the mission. She knew the risks. I would rather punch ya in yer fuckin' face, but its not what she would want."

"G-Gaj-Gajeel?" Levy's soft whisper drifted up to the dragon slayer's ears. He rushed to her side and picked up her hand.

"Oi, Shrimp. How ya feeling?" Gajeel's voice was soft and gentle, taking Jet by surprise.

"It hurts."

"Shhhh, it's gonna be okay," Gajeel kissed her forehead. "I'm here, I won't let ya get hurt again."

"Gajeel, there's something I need to tell you." Jet pulled the dragon slayer away from the girl. Once Levy couldn't hear them, he spoke again, "Gajeel, Levy's dying. Porlyusica can't save her. Wendy might be able to keep her alive for another week or so."

Gajeel turned back to the small woman on the table, fighting to sit up. The iron dragon slayer walked slowly back to her side, pushing her back down. She looked up into his crimson eyes and froze as tears fell from his face. Her mouth parted in a question only to be silenced with a kiss.

"Shrimp," Gajeel said breaking the kiss a moment later. "I got somethin' to tell ya and it ain't pretty."

Levy took Gajeel's hand in her own. Her breathing became uneven for a few minutes before she spoke again, "Gajeel, I was thrown off a cliff by a monster with a tree. I get it. Will you stay by my side until it's over?"

Gajeel should have known she'd figure it out. Dying or not, Levy McGarden was the smartest woman he had ever met. Gajeel stared into her chocolate brown eyes. He didn't want to live without her, but he knew she couldn't hold on for long. Gajeel pulled her close and kissed her again.

"Levy, I ain't ever gonna leave yer side again. Wendy can prolong yer life for about a week, if ya want," Gajeel said.

"Gajeel, I just want to say my goodbyes. I don't want to spend a week thinking about all the things I will never do." Levy looked away.

"What 're ya talking about?" Gajeel asked.

-o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o-

Gajeel pushed through the doors to the guild. He spotted the blonde instantly. As he approached, Gajeel could tell Lucy hadn't heard about the condition of her best friend. The bubbly blonde was chatting up a storm with Mira about her latest mission. The guild began to grow quiet as Gajeel drew closer to the celestial mage. When he reached her side, the girl looked up at him before jumping to her feet.

"Gajeel?" Lucy looked worried.

"Levy was injured during her last mission," Gajeel said catching the blonde as she began to crumble. "I need yer help. Levy has a week to live. I want to give her somethin' good before she passes."

"What is it, Gajeel?" Lucy asked between sobs.

"I'm gonna make her my wife." Gajeel said.

Mira screamed and jumped on the counter. She began yelling out orders to transform the guild hall into the perfect place for a wedding. The master hung a banner over the stage that Droy covered in flowers, Cana got out the champagne, Lucy got the girls the perfect dresses as Bisca fitted the men with tuxedos, and Erza made the cake. Natsu and Gray set up fireworks and ice sculptures, the best of which was the giant ice sculpture that portrayed Levy and Gajeel as Beauty and the Beast.

Mira smiled down at Gajeel. "Go get your bride and a ring. When you get back, we'll get you married."

-o0o0o0o0o0o0o-

Gajeel molded a ring from iron and tied it to the dozen iron roses he'd spent the last three weeks forming for Levy. He had planned to give her the roses as a welcome home gift, but now they would be the way he proposed to her. Gajeel felt tears flow from his eyes again. He knew his marriage to her would only last a few days before she passed on, but it would be the happiest time of his life. Taking a deep breath, the broken hearted iron dragon slayer began the long trek to Porlyusica's home.

As Gajeel neared the tree house, his nerves began to work on him. He knocked on the door, his hands growing sweaty. The old mage couldn't bring herself to glare as she opened the door to the young man. Iron roses in one hand and a small white dress in the other, Gajeel walked into the tree house. Porlyusica took the dress from his hand and hung it from the door, leading him to the blunette.

His soon to be bride looked worse than when he'd left, but to him, even dying, she was beautiful. Her eyes opened at his approaching footsteps, a smile forming on her lips. Gajeel smiled back at her before dropping to one knee and handing her the bouquet of iron roses.

"Levy McGarden, I know you only have a few days left in this world, but I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me, Shrimp?" Gajeel looked up at the crying blunette.

"Gajeel, I can't. I'll just be hurting you when I go. I don't want to hurt you, ya big lug," Levy whispered.

"Levy, ya'll only hurt me by saying no. Please, marry me," Gajeel asked again. "Please?"

"Gajeel," Levy's voice shook.

From across the room, Porlyusica spoke up, "Child, just say yes. This boy is as stubborn as they come, he wouldn't kneel to an enemy, the council, or to his own pain, but he'll kneel to you and beg for your hand. Say yes. Stupid humans."

Levy smiled, "I'll do it. I'll marry you Gajeel."

-o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o-

That day was the happiest day of their lives. As soon as Gajeel slipped the ring on her slim finger, they left for the guild hall for the ceremony. Gajeel carrying his beautiful, yet dying fiancee dressed in white, and Levy, weak from blood loss and tired, grinning ear to ear in happiness. The ceremony was beautiful, with Lucy as the Maid of Honor, Mira, Juvia, Erza, Wendy as brides maids, Pantherlily as the best man, Natsu, Gray, Jet, and Droy as groom's men, and the Master leading the ceremony.

Levy lived only three days as Levy Redfox before Gajeel found her dead in their bed. He clung to her lifeless body for hours until, out of worry, Lucy found them and ran to get the rest of the guild. The whole guild spent the next five hours trying to convince Gajeel that it was time to let her go.

That night as Gajeel slept on his couch, not wanting to disturb Levy's things or the last place she spent ant time alive, he had a dream. In the dream, Levy appeared to him as an angel. Her white gown and feathery wings set her hair aglow.

"Gajeel, you gave me happiness and peace during my final days on Earthland. As I enter into the afterlife, I appear to you to tell you, thank you. Thank you for marrying me, for caring for me, and for loving me. I have loved you from afar for a very long time and while I had hoped for a long happy life with you, the few days we had together were magical. Please, find happiness and help Jet and Droy do the same. Lucy will be okay. She has Natsu. I want you to go on with your life and keep the Fairy Tail spirit alive. I love you, Gajeel. May we meet again one day." Levy's words lightened his heart as he reached for her hand.

"Ya promised ya'd never leave my side, Shrimp, what happened?"

"Gajeel, I never left. Though time and distance may separate our bodies, I will always stand beside you in spirit. My heart beats within your chest, now, right beside your own heart. In time you'll love again. I have to go now, my love, live long and be happy. I will always love you."

"I love you, Levy Redfox." Gajeel whispered as her angelic form began to fade.

Gajeel Redfox lived to be an old man. Although he never found another to love and never had a family, he lived a long, full life. He passed away on the anniversary of Levy's death many years later, and as he stared into the abyss, withering from the Earthland world, a small angelic figure appeared before him, her smile brighter than the sun. Gajeel's spirit scooped up the spirit of the girl he could never stop loving and carried her into the afterlife, whispering, "I told you it's hard to find someone so perfect and small so never leave my side, okay?"

-o0o0o0o0o0o0o-

 **AN: DON'T KILL ME! Sorry I killed off Levy in this, but you have to admit it was cute. Let me know your thoughts, please.**


End file.
